Trying Tensions
by skyflyte12
Summary: This is what I think may come of Kel&Dom. Hilarity ensues as the Lady Knight is determined not to relax while she is pregnant
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I am not Tamora Pierce ect ect…

**KelDom – The next great stage**

**Prologue:** This is about Kel & Dom. This takes place after 'Tricksters Queen' so the Scanra War has ended. Kel & Dom married 3yrs after the end of 'Lady Knight,' although they had been 'involved' for almost all of that time.

Dom is currently the Commander of Third Company, Raoul having decided to stay closer to Buri and not actually go out in the field all that often, although he was still a largely in control of the King's Own. After the war, Kel had started riding more with Dom and Third Company, much to the soldier's amusement.

When word got out about their relationship, the men, who still called Kel 'Mother' after their jaunt into Scanra, there after fondly referred to their new Commander as 'Father' – Kel was much amused at this development.

At this promotion, Dom was free to marry as he wished without having to leave the Own, but for 2 years Kel rejected the idea of marriage – she was having so much fun teasing him. This led to eventful missions (from the Own's point of view); the most memorable of which the time Kel was forced to hang Dom from the flag pole by his breeches – "He wouldn't shut up" – and shortly afterwards Dom was joined by the Meathead because of his "insufferable amusement at Father's expense." Kel was having a bad week … needless to say the men avoided Kel for the best part of a month.

Anyways we are joining the happily married Kel and Dom at the palace, which at the moment was a very amusing place to be…

Please read on, the story starts as Dom is re-taught why he should be wary of his oh-so-lovely wife.


	2. Discovery

**Discovery **467HE

A certain mischievous blue-eyed man could be seen glancing furtively around the door leading to his and his wife's rooms. Determining that the coast was clear, he slipped into the room, shutting the door behind him.

He had recently returned from Commanding Third Company, which had been needed to hunt down a large nest of spidrens threatening a village in Northern Tortall.

Blue eyes troubled he rested his head on the door with a sigh. He was currently in fierce conflict with his need to see Kel and his desire to retain all of his limbs. He had managed to thoroughly annoy his marvellous wife at dinner. He had simply not realised that Kel's usually well kept temper had been boiling all too close to breaking point (although now he thought about it he should have seen something coming with the frantic gestures coming from Meathead) and he had unwittingly aroused it by persisting to goad Kel.

Much to the amusement of the men, Kel had jumped up and dragged him from the bench none too softly – the only reason he was still relatively unharmed was that while she was momentarily preoccupied in giving the soldiers in the mess the death glare, he had done what any sane man faced with a Lady Knight's considerable temper would do – run for his life – much to the amusement of the collective witnesses in the mess hall.

"Hello Domitian"

Dom froze. Slowly turning around, he saw Kel striding out of the washroom, a determined glint in her eye.

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Kel was amused to see a white faced Dom turn ever-so-slowly to look at her.

"Domitian. You were not hiding – were you?" Kel asked, a sly smile upon her face.

Dom gulped audibly, and then managed to reply "umm no… I was just …" His voice trailed off as he noted the wolfish grin spreading across his wife's usually passive face.

"Good. In that case you can do me the honour of joining me in the jousting field."

Kel marvelled at the instant effect those words had upon her ever-so-handsome husband. He went deathly pale, although it was hard to believe that it was possible for him to lose any more colour.

Just as Kel advanced on her rapidly retreating husband, the door to their rooms burst open, admitting what seemed like a whole crowd of people. Raoul, Neal, Alanna and Yuki strode into the room.

Seeing his opportunity, Dom quickly vanished behind Neal, using him as a living shield protecting him from his furious wife.

"What have we here?" Neal drawled as he found himself the victim of Kel's anger as she tried to get at Dom.

"Meathead, get out of the way. I need to hit something, preferably Dom, and preferably with a really long pole atop of Peachblossom." Kel looked wistfully at her husband, then seeing the reproachful looks on all of her friend's faces she let out a large sigh and slumped on the bed.

"I forbid you from jousting…" Neal said sternly to Kel. He was caught by surprise by an ecstatic Dom thumping him on the back.

"You have finally decided to act as a true cousin, Meathead, and save me from a fearful beating. I am almost lost for words."

Alanna broke in – "You will talk when spoken to, Domitan, or suffer a sparring with **me**."

"Yes, Kel. You cannot go around jousting while you're…" Yuki was cut off as Kel managed to kick her foot, and said "Ahem… I haven't exactly informed _him_ of my current condition… yet." Kel's eyes flicked to Dom while she spat out the word 'him.'

"You have to tell _him_ right now! Even if he was a git, you cannot continue to keep this secret. You have known for a week. The news will get out soon." Alanna advised.

The only words that made any sense to Dom were 'condition.' He quickly moved to sit down next to Kel, his eyes concerned. "Kel… what is your condition? You are not sick are you?"

At these words, Kel cautiously moved her face so that she was staring right into Dom's eyes. She saw his concern for her and opened her mouth – nothing came out. She swallowed and tried again… "I don't know how to say this…" she said hesitantly, then she decided on the fastest approach. "I'm pregnant."

Dom's eyes widened, and a large grin broke out on his face. "I am…going to be…a father…I AM GOING TO BE A FATHER!!!" He seized Kel in a tight hug, and then jumped up from the bed and gleefully danced around the room, repeating those wonderful words.

The others in the room could not help but laugh at this somewhat ridiculous display, but they all quickly moved in to congratulate him.

When he had calmed down enough to carry on an intelligent conversation, he sat back next to his wife. She had visibly relaxed at his reaction to her news, but now all could see her clenched jaw. The others slowly backed away as Kel smiled a little too sweetly at Dom. Suddenly she burst out irritably "Well it's ok for _you_ to be happy about this, but now _I_ am going to have to be the one to carry it for the next nine months, AND I already have people (she gestured wildly at Neal as she gave him a dirty glare) fawning all over me and denying me my entertainment; that is jousting and sparring and so forth! How could you get me pregnant! I have much better things to do!" All through this tirade her voice gathered speed and volume, as Dom realised that this was the reason she had been so quick to anger. As Kel abruptly ran out of graphic descriptions of exactly how much of an idiot Dom was she span spectacularly and punched his lights out.

"Did you really have to do that Kel?" Neal inquired as he observed his cousin.

"Yes." Kel stiffly replied as she contentedly sat back on her bed.

Alanna, Raoul and Yuki were clutching their stomachs in laughter.

"You know, Kel, that was almost an exact re-enactment of the time that I found out I was pregnant to my first." Alanna commented dryly as she got her laughter under control.

Dom groaned on the floor and cracked an eye-lid, then, with much hesitation, got up off the floor and gingerly placed himself on the bed.

"Who had the honour of informing you that you were pregnant?" Dom questioned.

Neal raised his hand- "That would be me, of course."

Dom surveyed the Meathead carefully, and then smiled delightedly as he noticed the black eye his cousin currently supported. "Am I to believe that I was not the only one fortunate enough to get this treatment?" Dom cocked his head and lifted an eyebrow.

"No." Neal said sharply. "Anyways… Kel you still can't joust. If you got hit in the belly it could damage the baby."

Kel acknowledged this with a wave of her hand.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, Neal's right Kel. You will have to rest and I am going to personally see to it that you _do_. If you go anywhere near the practise courts, the men of the Own will forcefully instruct you on the finer points of rest and relaxation." Raoul warned.

Kel quickly sat up at this, face white- "You wouldn't."

"Try me."


	3. Trying Raoul

**Trying Raoul**

After the exciting events of that day Kel went to sleep in Dom's arms, after they had reached an understanding – that Kel was in fact happy to be having a baby, it was just the _having_ bit that she had a problem with.

The next morning Dom woke up and saw his wife sprinting to the bathroom. Seeing that she was experiencing the joys of morning sickness, he went down to the mess and grabbed her a breakfast tray and a drink.

After taking out her anger on Dom after she had eaten, Kel made a show of lying down on the bed, saying that she may as well go back to sleep.

Dom looked at her, suspicious "You are not going to go running down to the practise courts?"

Kel looked shocked, "Are you saying that you do not trust me, your wife, to know how to relax?"

"Of course I don't. You never stop." Dom replied, eyes sparkling. Kel made to respond, but Dom cut her off, by saying that in any case he had work to do.

As Dom exited, he saw the calculating look in Kel's eyes, meaning that she was indeed planning to go practise. He shook his head and hoped that Raoul knew what he was getting into.

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After waiting a few minutes, Kel jumped off the bed and changed into training clothes. She was irritably thinking that it didn't even look like she was pregnant, so why should the Own guess that she was?

Searching for her glaive, her eyes ran over the room. Realising why she did not see it immediately, she cursed. "Traitors!" she muttered, realising too late that one of her visitors yesterday must have contrived to remove it from her room.

Kel collapsed on to the bed, one hand against her temple. Deciding to get in a bit of sparring practise instead, she resolutely got up, grabbed her sword and stormed out to the practise courts.

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There were only a few people there when Kel started. She felt better just going through the motions of drills. She did not notice a soldier from the Own slip away.

A few minutes later, she heard a dry voice, "Already over relaxing?"

Kel spun around to see Raoul leaning against the fence, one eyebrow arched, observing her closely.

Too annoyed to impose her Yamani calm face, she just scowled at him and went back to the drills.

"This will not do." Raoul commented idly. He strode toward her, and quickly snatched her up, around her middle. He transferred her to his right shoulder and started walking.

Kel let out a furious shout as she was carried unceremoniously back into the palace.

"If it is the last thing I do, I will get you back. You are a bad man." Kel furiously informed her former knight master.

Raoul just let out a bark of laughter and continued toward his destination. He burst into the Own's Barracks. It was about lunchtime, and most of the Third Company were eating… or at least they _were_ until they turned to witness the unique occurrence.

Most started laughing uproariously as they realised that one of their Commanders was carrying the ferocious lady knight over one shoulder. Raoul was looking around the mess, and spotted Dom walked over to him.

Dom had been forced to stuff his fist into his mouth in an attempt to stop the laughter that was battling to break free. He quickly removed it and stood up, bowing to Raoul and simultaneously raising an eyebrow at him, sapphire eyes dancing.

Raoul, with a wolfish grin on his face responded, "She tried me." He then swept Kel off his shoulder and planted her on the ground next to Dom.

Kel was seething, livid that Raoul just _had_ to make a huge scene of this situation. She quickly swept in and tried to punch the daylights out of the man, but Dom had sensed that she would not let him get away with it unscathed, and he wrapped his hands around her waist, forcing her away.

Kel struggled against his hold, but sensing the situation would not improve, stopped to observe Raoul. She decided that the man was taking an un-holy amusement in her frustrations and made a mental note to make his punishment much worse.

Once Kel got her temper under control, she lightly addressed Raoul, "I thought you said the men of the Own would be the ones to force me to rest."

Raoul grinned wolfishly, "And so they will – next time. I wanted the honour of stopping you first."

Kel just stared at him, infuriated that the man knew her so well.

Raoul addressed the men, "I want everyone to remember this. Kel is pregnant –" A this the men wolf-whistled - "And I approve, neigh insist, that the most deliberate force be used to teach her the finer points of rest and relaxation." With this he turned around and strode out of the hall.

Kel span around and gave all the men a death glare – just daring them to stop her in the future – and then stomped out of the hall. The men stopped laughing at once.

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Over the next few weeks, Kel could constantly be found practising in some secluded place all over the palace. She came to consider avoiding the men of the Own as a kind of training in itself.

The first time that the men had attempted to stop her was not anywhere near successful. One of the men on guard had spotted her training in a clearing in the grounds and had approached her.

She had just glared at him, and he had backed away slowly. She had been satisfied with her accomplishment, until the man had returned with three of his buddies. The four of them had set on her at once, careful not to actually injure her.

Kel, however, had no such limitations and had continued practising once the men had been forced to retreat; she had rendered two unconscious and the others were too afraid to force her.

This would have been perfect, had they not gone to get Raoul – again – and he had just slung her over his shoulder, taken her to her rooms, and tied her to her bed.

The Own came to their own way of disabling her without having to involve Raoul a few days later; the recruits that were fast – and dumb – enough to stop her would jump in and tie her arms by her side, load her on a stretcher and cart her back to her rooms.

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Kel kept at the teasing game mainly because that is what Raoul would expect her to do. She was actually waiting until the man stopped looking over his shoulder for her revenge to come and hit him in the face.

A full month after her first altercation with Raoul, her revenge was almost ready to put into action. She had chosen something far more subtle than attaching him by his breeches to a flagpole and hoisting him up; no matter how inviting that prospect was.

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Kel was relaxing on her bed when she heard a tentative knock on her door. Telling the person to come in, she was delighted to see Dom look in, his sapphire eyes sparking.

He quickly saw that she was in a good mood and swept her up into his arms, giving her a passionate kiss. After the greetings were over with, he forced her to sit down again.

"Ah, Kel…" Dom began.

"Yes Dom?"

"Tomorrow the King is holding a ball, and he ordered me – and you – to attend."

She pursed her lips and glared at her husband. "He can't make me go if I do not have a dress that fits!"

At this Dom gulped and built up the courage to say, "well, the thing is you do…or will. At the moment Lalasa is with the Queen, fitting a dress. She has brought one to fit on you." He said all this rapidly, much like one removes a bandaid.

Much to his confusion she just nodded her head and left the room.

Dom tried to think if he had ever seen his wife go willingly to a dress fitting. Remembering that she had been dragged kicking and screaming to be fitted into her wedding dress, he decided that she had never done it willingly. Then a thought struck him. She did not seem even a little surprised at this information. Normally this lack of emotion would not be strange, but she had all but abandoned her Yamani mask through irritation at not being allowed to train.

_It seems Kel is up to something_ he mused, staring at the door that she had just exited.

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**Disclaimer**: I am not Tamora Pierce

Thankyou to everyone for your kind reviews, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I can ensure you that you will enjoy the next!


	4. Perfect Revenge

**Perfect Revenge**

The following day, Kel and Dom could be seen making their way to the large doors through which they would be announced.

Dom was looking handsome in a sky blue flowing shirt and white breaches. Kel was wearing a sky blue dress to match her husband's shirt, but had flatly refused to wear a corset - "I need to be able to breathe" and makeup.

Dom was extremely suspicious as they lined up behind Raoul and Buri, because Kel was radiating satisfaction – unusual for a woman who had been constantly denied doing as she wanted. Dom had a slight suspicion as to the reason for her satisfaction, but as of yet he had no idea what type of punishment would be bad enough for Raoul that his wife would be this happy.

They were introduced and slowly made their way down the steps.

The first part of this ball consisted of standing around and listening to all the palace gossips. They went and talked to all their friends; Alanna and George, Neal and Yuki, and quite a few of Kel's knight friends.

Kel was idly following Dom around amongst her friends, talking only when the situation demanded it. She finally caught Buri's eyes, and while Raoul was not looking hand signed to her "it's time."

Buri allowed herself a small grin, and a few moments later she could be seen exiting the hall.

As the band struck up a tune, Dom asked Kel if she would like to dance. She accepted happily.

They danced for a while, and each time Kel took a glance at Raoul, he seemed to be getting more and more concerned. He was standing near the wall, stiff as a post, staring about himself, looking lost.

After a while, Kel told Dom that she was tired, and she ambled off towards Raoul.

"Good evening, Raoul, how are you?"

He seemed to come out of a trance as he noticed her standing beside him. "Kel, have you seen Buri? She left ages ago to relieve herself and she hasn't returned."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about her. She is fine." Kel responded pleasantly.

Raoul looked at her properly, and asked her suspiciously "How do you know she is fine? You have been dancing for ages. And what has you so damn happy to be here?" He added, blatantly realising that whenever she had been made to attend a ball, she had sulked with him.

"I am just enjoying getting my revenge." She said simply, grinning wolfishly at him.

"Wha…??" He stood there silent for a moment. "How the heck is this revenge?"

"Oh, you will find out." Kel's grin grew larger, and Raoul suddenly felt even worse.

"What did you do? And Why?"

Kel just looked at him and arched one eyebrow, appraising him. She decided that this was probably the best part of her plan, the big unveiling. Revelling in his uncertainty, she cleared her throat.

"Did you honestly forget that the first time you dragged me from the practise courts I swore to get my revenge? Here it is. You forgot that _I_ know what frightens you more than any kind of public humiliation."

Raoul, guessing where her plan was leading, turned deathly pale, "You wouldn't." He said sharply, quietly.

Kel nodded her head, "Oh, but I did."

"No."

"Yes."

"I don't believe you." Raoul said, clinging to this one last hope.

"I will explain fully the brilliance of my plan for you then. Uh hem. A week ago I requested an audience with the King. I asked him to hold a ball, and to force all those at the palace to attend. You know, my Lord, you really should have been nicer to him. He asked why I would like this particular evening and he agreed immediately; he still hasn't gotten over all of your efforts during the Progress to avoid joining it. Tonight you are to sit this whole meal through next to the most persistent match making mothers in the kingdom, who are yet to believe their daughter's chances are zero, even though you are already married." Kel finished with a flourish.

Raoul thought this over, his face loosing more colour "you didn't stop there though, did you?" He whispered.

"You catch on very quick, my lord. I contrived to make sure that Buri would leave; she agreed as she understood my pains at being denied my pleasure." I said pointedly, reminding him that he had done the same to Buri when she had been pregnant with Daniel.

"You are a bad woman." Raoul told her. At this she just laughed and turned to join Dom again on the dance floor. Kel knew quite well that Raoul's worst fear just happened to be those grubby matchmaking mothers.

Dom, dancing with Kel, caught sight of Raoul looking depressed. "What did you do to Raoul?" He asked Kel.

She leaned over to get a look at him and laughed. "Merely got my revenge."

As they sat through dinner, all that glanced Raoul's way could see that he was thoroughly depressed. He kept shooting scalding looks at Kel, but she just smiled back.

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That night, Kel went to bed thoroughly content, knowing that the punishment she had dished out for Raoul was the worse than any other she could have possibly thought up.

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**Disclaimer**: I am not Tamora Pierce.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Tell me weather you thought Raoul's punishment bad enough. Yeah, so thanks for reading, please rate and review!


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